Why does healthcare cost so much in America?

[SnowyMacie]

The US needs less government. Things were far better before the ACA. Flat out repeal, no replace.

And leave millions of us suddenly without healthcare? As a 25 year-old with chronic prexisting conditions, things are better for me now that the ACA has passed. I know that's not the case for everyone, but the fears I had cannot come true anymore.

 

[HerbieHeadley]

Administration costs are universally lower under socialized medicine as you have fewer payers that need administration, and they spend less time trying to not pay for the healthcare you bought via insurance (deny your claims).

Wrong.

 

[HerbieHeadley]

Actually, we have one of the smallest welfare states and smallest safety nets in the developed world and we still pay more per capita in public healthcare, and most of us get no healthcare from it.




No, actually, his final point is that we have a free market that causes us to have no buying power in our healthcare system.

 

[jgarden]

1. The federal government and the states are not allowed to negotiate lower drug prices.

2. The America healthcare system is fragmented and administration costs are far higher than a universal one.

3. America is the only modern nation whose healthcare system depends on private insurance - adding another layer to providing healthcare just adds to the cost.

4. Healthcare does not lend itself to a private insurance system - to provide insurance at an affordable rate to those with pre-existing conditions, there must be a compulsory component to broaden the pool to include younger, healthier clients.

5. America provides a number of services, irrespective of one's ability to pay - roads and highways, airports, public education, police and fire services, voting.

 

[variant]

Wrong.

Quite the retort.

Here's mine:

Administrative costs account for 25 percent of total U.S. hospital spending, according to a new study that compares these costs across eight nations. The United States had the highest administrative costs; Scotland and Canada had the lowest. Reducing U.S. per capita spending for hospital administration to Scottish or Canadian levels would have saved more than $150 billion in 2011.

A Comparison of Hospital Administrative Costs in Eight Nations: U.S. Costs Exceed All Others by Far

 

[SnowyMacie]

What makes the US health care system so expensive – Conclusion

Health Costs: How the U.S. Compares With Other Countries

The U.S. spends far more on health care than any other country. However this high spending cannot be attributed to higher income, an older population, or greater supply or utilization of hospitals and doctors. Instead, the findings suggest the higher spending is more likely due to higher prices and perhaps more readily accessible technology and greater obesity. Health care quality in the U.S. varies and is not notably superior to the far less expensive systems in the other study countries. Of the countries studied, Japan has the lowest health spending, which it achieves primarily through aggressive price regulation.

While it is true, we have higher levels of obesity, we have a younger population and less smokers than most other countries. In addition to this, the study also found that obesity-related healthcare costs only counted for 10% of our entire healthcare spending. There is no correlation between obesity rankings and healthcare spending.

source: http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/Files/Publications/Issue Brief/2012/May/1595_Squires_explaining_high_hlt_care_spending_intl_brief.pdf

 

[rambot]

Indeed. It is astonishing how much America is willing to pay not to have 'socialised' medicine. It's a bit like cutting ones nose of to spite yourself.

I really prefer "to spider face".

Thank you Michael Scott.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

All of this shows that the healthcare field is the place to be if you want to make a good living. As a successful enterprise it's second to none in America. And it's so easy to make loads of money. Here's what recently happened to me.

I went to the ER for chest pains (I had bypass surgery several years ago). All my vital signs were good and the chest pains weren't serious or related to my surgery. Before I was discharged the cardio doctor doubled my dosage of Lipitor, despite my cholesterol numbers being satisfactory. It was simply an opportunistic move on the part of the industry to make more money (Lipitor/atorvastatin) is very profitable. On another visit another cardio doctor wanted me to take yet another blood pressure drug before I went to bed, despite my bp being good. Even my family doctor was surprised that my cholesterol med was doubled since my numbers were already satisfactory. That ER cardio doctor said that it was the 'new' standard.

 

[cow451]

Some familiar reasons, and some new ones.

Why Does Health Care Cost so Much in America? Ask Harvard's David Cutler

People getting older and getting sick.

 

[LoAmmi]

The US needs less government. Things were far better before the ACA. Flat out repeal, no replace.

The insurance company attempted to block my mother's surgery to have a cyst removed because fifteen years earlier she had a yeast infection and had it treated by a doctor. It was considered a "pre-existing condition" even though they could produce no medical information that showed a connection between the two conditions except that they happen to women.

This was "better" was it?

 

[mnphysicist]

Quite the retort.

A Comparison of Hospital Administrative Costs in Eight Nations: U.S. Costs Exceed All Others by Far

US hospital administrative costs are insane... plus we have insurance companies sucking another 20%+ on top of that. The problem is that if you enact cost saving measures to shrink most of these functions which are not directly healthcare related, you take away a massive number of jobs. Basically, we are paying lots of folks to dig holes and paying others to fill them in again, and then via creative accounting games, we combine the total, and rename such a healthcare expense. It would be cheaper for govt to enact minimum income legislation rather than funding the fake "make work" world the US lives in now... but then you have massive loss of human agency and dignity which presents its own set of issues.

 

[JackRT]

The insurance company attempted to block my mother's surgery to have a cyst removed because fifteen years earlier she had a yeast infection and had it treated by a doctor. It was considered a "pre-existing condition" even though they could produce no medical information that showed a connection between the two conditions except that they happen to women.

This was "better" was it?

Not quite a "death panel" but that is what insurance companies do. Their reason to exist is to make money not to serve the best interests of their customers.

 

[rambot]

Like flatulence in the wind, a post like this...

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Not quite a "death panel" but that is what insurance companies do. Their reason to exist is to make money not to serve the best interests of their customers.

Not all are bad. I'm delighted with the coverage I get from mine. I have had major surgeries that were well covered by my insurance. My out-of-pockets were minimal.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

US hospital administrative costs are insane... plus we have insurance companies sucking another 20%+ on top of that. The problem is that if you enact cost saving measures to shrink most of these functions which are not directly healthcare related, you take away a massive number of jobs. Basically, we are paying lots of folks to dig holes and paying others to fill them in again, and then via creative accounting games, we combine the total, and rename such a healthcare expense. It would be cheaper for govt to enact minimum income legislation rather than funding the fake "make work" world the US lives in now... but then you have massive loss of human agency and dignity which presents its own set of issues.

This is the problem with any 'cost saving' measure by any enterprise whether private or government. All expenses are ultimately someone's job and paycheck.

 

[JackRT]

Not all are bad. I'm delighted with the coverage I get from mine. I have had major surgeries that were well covered by my insurance. My out-of-pockets were minimal.

I'm glad to hear that.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I'm glad to hear that.

It's even better than that as my employer pays 100 percent of premiums. The only downside is that I don't have dental coverage.

 

[variant]

This is the problem with any 'cost saving' measure by any enterprise whether private or government. All expenses are ultimately someone's job and paycheck.

So, in a more efficient system all those billions wasted simply go to employing people in differn't more productive things, or increasing the overall savings, and investment, or wealth of the population.

Instead we get a bunch of middle class and upper class paper pushers consistently voting against a better way of doing things so that their bread is buttered.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

So, in a more efficient system all those billions wasted simply go to employing people in differn't more productive things, or increasing the overall savings, and investment, or wealth of the population.

Instead we get a bunch of middle class and upper class paper pushers consistently voting against a better way of doing things so that their bread is buttered.

I have less of a problem with that than I do with giving welfare out with no requirement to do anything for it. If we did we could increase the "wealth of the population" and fill the needs of the poor. I envision the poor doing public works as in the depression era. The workforce, which includes many skilled workers, of the poor and unemployed is enormous. Match those with pubic works that cannot now be done for lack of revenue and we could move ahead in many areas quickly. Sadly politics (and a general lack of vision) gets in the way of marshaling these resources.

 

[The Stamp]

Health care is bad in the countries where it is ran by the state..I've heard from people from those countries. Very long waiting periods and such. Say what you want, private will always be more efficient.

You have been told lies, ask anyone who lives in the rest of the civilized world what they think of their health care and they will tell you the truth.
Don't believe me? then watch this: